Charlton Athletic 4 Exeter City 1 – ten man Grecians suffer third straight league defeat
City took the lead thanks to J
ames Scott’s opening, but the Addicks scored four goals against Exeter, who also had Will Aimson sent off.
Exeter City suffered their third consecutive League One defeat, falling 4-1 away to Charlton Athletic. The Grecians took an early lead, but the Addicks rallied and proved too powerful for City’s ten men.
Midway through the first half, Exeter took the lead thanks to James Scott, who got on the end of a through pass and neatly slotted the finish into the back of the goal. However, Charlton equalized on the stroke of half-time when Corey Blackett-Taylor reacted quickest to tap home after Chuks Aneke’s header bounced back off the crossbar.
Alfie May put the Addicks ahead midway through the second half, following up to convert home the rebound after Vil Sinisalo saved Aneke’s penalty. Will Aimson was awarded a straight red card for a late lunge on May, capping up a terrible two-minute spell for the Grecians.
Myles Leaburn sealed the victory with a powerful strike from the edge of the area in the 78th minute as City tasted defeat for the fourth time in their last five in League One and dropping down to 10th – in what was a 13th defeat in the last 16 visits to the Valley. May got his second and Charlton’s fourth in the dying stages to add gloss to a win, which saw the hosts rise to 14th with a third straight home win and extended the unbeaten run to five.
Exeter City manager Gary Caldwell made four changes to the side who were beaten 2-0 at home by Northampton Town on Saturday. Back into the starting eleven came Jack Fitzwater, Harry Kite, Scott and Demetri Mitchell, with Pierce Sweeney, Kyle Taylor, Yanic Wildschut and Sonny Cox dropping to the bench.
City had the first chance of the game after five minutes. A poor headed clearance was pounced on by Scott, but from 30 yards, he whipped an effort just past the post. He then got on the end of a Vincent Harper cross, but couldn’t keep the strike down. Louie Watson tested Sinisalo from distance for the Addicks’ first effort.
Aneke got on the end of a long through ball and tapped through the legs of Sinisalo to give Charlton the lead in the 20th minute. Fortunately for the Grecians, the offside flag was raised, and the verdict appeared to be right.
City seized the lead two minutes later, in a nearly identical play but at the opposite end of the pitch. Reece Cole scooped up the ball in midfield and threaded it through the lines while Scott remained onside. The attacker closed down on the Charlton goal and blasted the finish beyond Ashley Maynard-Brewer from the edge of the area to make it 1-0.
Slobodan Tedic, on the other hand, almost immediately leveled it up. Zak Jules was caught asleep in the area, and the Serbian fired, but Sinisalo palmed it away. The Grecians, on the other hand, were inches away from making it 2-0 when Kite’s low cross was met by a soaring Scott finish that was inches wide of the target.
Charlton did equalize just before halftime. Aneke was on the receiving end of a cross from Alfie May on the right. His header rebounded back off the crossbar and directly into the path of Blackett-Taylor, who slammed him into the empty net from close range to tie the game at 1-1 at halftime.
Neither side made a change at the break, but inside 45 seconds, Michael Appleton’s men could have gone ahead, but Blackett-Taylor on the volley from a tight angle found the side netting. City’s first chance of the half saw Jules got on the end of a Tom Carroll cross, but his flying header went over. Mitchell then cut in from the right and saw a low effort pushed away and Harper just couldn’t turn the rebound goalwards, Michael Hector making a vital block.
Wildschut replaced Harper on the hour as Caldwell’s first change, moments later he saw a curling effort drift wide. But then the attacker as he tried to clear a bouncing ball, caught Watson with the follow through. Referee David Rock took his time before pointing to the penalty spot.
Up stepped Aneke to take the spot kick. He went low to Sinisalo’s right, and the Finn did brilliantly to guess correctly and tip the effort onto the post. Unfortunately though for the Grecians, it richoched back into the path of May, who tapped into the unguarded net to put Charlton 2-1 up.
It went from bad to worse for the Grecians immediately from the restart. Aimson took a heavy touch and in his desperate bid to win the ball back slid in high with his studs up. The City skipper seemed to win the ball, but he clattered into May on the follow through, and Rock immediately went to the back pocket and showed the captain the red card. He protested the decision, but had to depart, and it left City with a mountain to climb.
Sweeney replaced Fitzwater, the defender seemingly limping off, while Taylor replaced Scott, in City’s final roll of the dice. But any hope of getting anything from the game was extinguished ten minutes from time. The ball was worked to Leaburn on the edge of the area, and he rifled home first time finish which had too much power on it for Sinisalo to keep out.
The Aston Villa loanee made an outstanding save to deny Blackett-Taylor before Alex Hartridge threw his body in the way to deny May’s follow-up which seemed certain to make it four. But four it was in the 85th minute, and May did get his second. Blackett-Taylor should have got it, after some silky skills saw him dance past Sweeney and Sinisalo, but unselfishly squared it with the goal gaping. City failed to clear at the first attempt, and it broke to May, who smashed it into the roof of the net – the 18th goal in the last five City have conceded.
Nine minutes of stoppage-time were added. It mattered little as the game was long since over, and City knew they were beaten. Exeter City are back in action on Saturday when they host Barnsley at St James Park.
Exeter City: Vil Sinisalo, Will Aimson, Jack Fitzwater (Pierce Sweeney, 72), Alex Hartridge, Harry Kite (Jack Aitchison, 65), Tom Carroll, Reece Cole, Zak Jules, Vincent Harper (Yanic Wildschut, 58), Demetri Mitchell, James Scott (Kyle Taylor, 72
